Tuesday, February 12, 2013

The full intelligence of breathing

When the attention moves to the rooted condition at the base of the spine, and the breathing is in alignment with this root condition, it undergoes a fundamental change.

First of all, I sense, within my physical attention, that breathing actually takes place in this area. The gross action of the chest and even the diaphragm are the muscular movements that make intelligible sense of the action of breathing; but what the air does as it enters all depends on the intelligent sensation that is created in this small area at the base of the spine. It is possible, in a certain sense, to say that all of the action of breathing actually takes place here; this is the point where the substances that the breath takes in begin their action, although they then instantaneously come into relationship with many other parts, by a process of emanation.

The air has many other important actions and substantial effects on the body, especially feeding the active or organic sensation; but it doesn't have this action unless the rooted nature of breathing is established, understood, present, and active. So there already has to be a certain kind of attention at the base of the spine in order to root Being and relationship.

At this point, I discover that breathing is actually a very small action, unless I am exerting myself physically. If the breathing is properly rooted, it takes much finer substances into the body, and there is no need for anywhere near as much air as I breathe if I am not taking in these substances.

The breathing becomes much quieter. I actually move my sensation and awareness to this point, and participate in the very quiet, regulated, and actually quite tiny action of breathing in and out.

This becomes such a minimal enterprise that I may be surprised. Who could have known so little breath was necessary to sustain the organism? Yet in this still place of gentle, quiet breathing, where only exactly as much as is needed as taken in, I sense that what is taken in is much finer, that it feeds my entire being in my sensation in a different way. There is absolutely no need for me to do anything whatsoever; I don't need to do breathing exercises or breathe in a certain way. The breathing is fully intelligent; it knows everything about what is necessary, unlike me. At times, it will expel itself or even stop.

It understands what is necessary; I allow it, by moving aside within.

This full intelligence of breathing must be allowed to do its own work, and I only observe. It's not a destination; it's an activity that keeps itself in movement, feeds energy into the body of a different nature, and allows an expansion of awareness into the sensation that brings the parts into a different relationship.

This relationship itself is dynamic; and although I will have many experiences, if I begin to believe in a specific action within chakras, centers, the spine, and so on and so forth, each one becomes a grasping and a limitation of my inner energy and its full range and potential of movement.

So this is why I don't engage in manipulative exercises; I come into relationship with the energy and I allow it to move in whatever direction it knows how to move. It is certain that many associations will arise, and I will say to myself, "ah, the heart chakra is active," or, "I am receiving energy through the top of the head." All of these things will be true; but the words don't help, instead, they automatically become part of a structure I want to impose on my inner state. So although these associations definitely arise, and perhaps I even speak of them to people, when I am working within, I let go.

The point of the study of the full intelligence of breathing is to let go of my own intelligence so that the intelligence of the breathing is active. The minute that I direct it or label it, I have tried to take over, and I think I am in charge of this or that. But this or that needs to be in charge; and this or that represents the unknown, a quality of awareness that emanates from another level.

This exact quality of awareness is, in fact, the inflow from the divine. If it is allowed to do its work, many things become possible that are totally impossible while I am trying to do its work for it.

1 comment:

Imagine a combination lock which uses differing keys to open various parts of it. Some locks require a metal key and a great deal of effort, while other locks require keys that are as fragile as a feather.

And secondarily, imagine that all of these keys need to be placed in the locks in a certain order or nothing will open. This would give you something of the idea of what is required to access the kundalini, and attenuate or make passive the kundabuffer -- the producer of illusion and karma.

Your post today reminds me that there are in me two significant and differing breath rhythms; and I will use the analogy of the beach to describe this very elusive process by thinking by form.

On a sandy beach we have one wave following another coming in from the ocean, and when it has reached its extent, it withdraws back into the ocean. At the same time some of the water sinks into the sand and one can observe the wave within the sand receding into the ocean. One is the gross breath which belongs to the physical body, and the other is the subtle breath belonging to the Kesdjian body. In this way the same breath nourishes two distinct bodies.

But other events happen when the outer breath stops of its own accord, becoming so light and small as to be properly described as imaginary.

If at that point the attention is strong, and unwavering, this second breath may be observed, with its own rhythm. In Yoga, this is called Kevala Kumbhaka, where the outer breath stops on it's own. No effort can achieve this state.

"One who is successful in Kevala Kumbhaka, without breathing in or out, finds nothing in the Three Worlds beyond his reach" - from the Vasishtha Samhhita.

If a Man has created the Soul or Anandakosha (body of bliss/suffering), even this second breath will open to a third breath that travels through the passageway known as the Chitrini, which is the innermost hollow of the Sushumna, the three and a half times wrap to the three different channels along the spine.

This opening of the Chitrini is required for the Kundalini to travel up through the spine, piercing the Six Chakras (centers) and the Three Granthis, or Knots of Identification, with the planetary body, emotional and mental bodies.

You can find the six centers as the inner circulation of the Enneagram, and the Granthis as the triangle of DOs, at 9, 3 and 6.

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Recommendations and current reading list

Lee's current reading list (all recommended)

The Iceberg- Marion Coutts. This extraordinary book deserves to be read by every individual engaged in an inner search. The questions it raises about life, death, and relationship are framed by the authors responsibilities to her very young child and her dying husband. This is a book about real work in life, not esoteric theory.

Far From The Tree: Andrew Solomon. Parents, Children and the Search for Identity. Highly recommended.

Inner Yoga, Sri Anirvan—This extraordinary book is essential reading for any serious student of Gurdjieff or Yoga practice. Written at a level of both practical and philosophical discourse well above other contemporary work, Anirvan investigates the deep roots of Yoga practice, theory, and philosophy in a deeply sensitive series of insights. Of particular interest is the extraordinary and challenging piece on Buddhi and Buddhiyoga, which examines the questions of practice, life, and death with an acuity rarely encountered in other work of this nature.

Divine Love and Wisdom, Emmanuel Swedenborg. Swedenborg gives us a detailed report on Reality as received from higher sources, reflecting many Truths one would be wise to study carefully. Readers will be astounded by the extraordinary degree of correlation between Swedenborg and Ibn 'Arabi. Many fundamental principles introduced by Gurdjieff are also expounded on in fascinating detail by Swedenborg. All of Swedenborg's works are well worth reading.

The Divine Governance of the Human Kingdom, Ibn 'Arabi. Another real gem, this book ought to be read by every seeker on the spiritual path. If you can only find the time to read one book by Ibn 'Arabi, this ought to be the one. By turns lighthearted, serious, insightful, and ingenius, al 'Arabi introduces us to our inner government character by character, explains their relationships, and indicates how to bring them into a state of harmonious cooperation. Written with love, the book deftly manages to avoid being didactic, delivering instead a sensitive, poetic, and even romantic look at how to organize our inner Being.

The Bezels of Wisdom—Ibn al 'Arabi. A compendium of observations about the nature of "The Reality"—what al 'Arabi calls God— from a 13th century Sufi master. This towering work easily holds its own against—and is worthy of comparison to—13th century masterpieces from other major religious traditions such as Dogen's Shobogenzo and Meister Eckhart's sermons.